Let’s take a minute to remember. A minute to remember some of those incredible things Michael Jordan used to do on the hardwood. What pops up? Probably the Flu Game. Sure thing. The Shot? Of course. The Shot Reloaded? For sure. We might as well think about all those game winners, the championships, the close-game heroics or the shrug against Clyde Drexler and the Blazers.

Watching Mr. Jordan play the game of basketball (MJ voice) was like getting memories hammered into our brains. Once you saw him play, you would never forget. Even the ones who had not seen MJ play in the 90’s sure have stumbled across loads of footage. To this day, Jordan is everywhere. His best moves are well known to anyone, ever having expressed even the slightest interest in the game of basketball (MJ voice). We’ve seen it all.

Have we? Of course, we have. Have we? Well, you never know, so let’s ask straight forward. Have you ever seen Michael Jeffrey Jordan shatter a backboard? Have you ever witnessed His Airness dunk so viciously that the backboard exploded, covering the floor with thousands of little pieces of glass?

Shaq? Sure! MJ? Not so much!

It might sound weird. Because Jordans was no Shaq. He was a 6’6“ Guard, not a 7’1“ giant. Seeing The Diesel abusing rims until they broke is like seeing Draymond Green kicking Steven Adams’ balls. Didn’t happen on a regular basis but one kind of got used to the concept.

But again: MJ? Yes. MJ! To get proof we have to travel back in time. Back to the summer of 1985. Jordan had just finished his first ever NBA season. He had won the Rookie of the Year Award and was on the verge of becoming one of the Association’s biggest stars.

A Trip to Italy that Shattered the… Backboard

And stars need to prepare, right? So Nike took MJ on a trip to Italy. There, in Trieste, he was supposed to play an exhibition game – which he did. Dressed in an orange and black jumper, he entered the court and did what he did best. Jordan dominated. He scored 30 points, thereby teaching the Italians that man kind of was meant to fly.

Play after play, MJ took off. Layups. Dunks. Hangtime. He brought the whole package. Until he took off for one final time, ending the game with a bang.

So Jordan dribbles the ball, then, two steps into the paint, lifts off. For a split second, time stands still. MJ hangs in the air – until he reaches the rim. He hammers the ball through the hoop and holds on… just for a second, but a second is enough. Glass. Shards. Everywhere. Michael Jordan had just shattered the backboard.

As iconic as such a scene might seem, it was forgotten about by the masses for quite some time. Granted, MJ gave us enough things to talk, think and wonder about. Yet, the day he shattered the backboard should never be forgotten.

NIKE

A Sneaker to Remind Them All

That’s why, in the fall of 2015, Jordan Brand decided to pay some tribute. By releasing the Air Jordan 1 Shattered Backboard, JB took us back to 1985. Using the same color blocking as the Air Jordan 1 Black Toe, the sneaker rocked the same colors MJ had worn that day in Trieste.

Orange. Black. White. And people loved it. The AJ1 Shattered Backboard was sold out in the blink of an eye. Apparently everybody wanted to be a part of this strangely historic day. Hence, with stocks being limited – as usual – not everyone got his pair.

NIKE

Return Chicago-Style: The Air Jordan 1 Reverse Shattered Backboard

Luckily, though, we may always lay trust in JB. They simply know how to give the people what they want. And since they apparently want an AJ1 Shattered Backboard, on October 1st, Jordan Brand is giving us the Air Jordan 1 High OG Reverse Shattered Backboard.

Why reverse, you ask? Well, because the color blocking has changed. This time it reminds us of another iconic AJ1. This time it resembles the the Air Jordan 1 Chicago. The only difference: Where the Bulls’ colors demand red, the shattered backboard demands orange. And it works. Oh, how it works.

NIKE

Tribute Repeated: The Air Jordan XXXI Shattered Backboard

In fact, it works so well that one shoe is not enough, that JB is releasing the one sneaker, that was built to pay tribute to the AJ1, alongside the Air Jordan 1 Reverse Shuttered Backboard: the Air Jordan XXXI Shattered Backboard, ladies and gentlemen.

Again it’s orange and black. Again it looks incredible. With ease, the color way makes the transition from the most classic Jordan to the most modern one. Just as JB did with the AJXXXI Banned, they mix history with today’s technology. A concept that seems to work perfectly. Let’s take a minute to let that sink in.